SBIA PARTNER PROFILE MEDTRONIC
Medtronic’s Spotlight on helping COPE Galway The Medtronic Foundation created the Spotlight pilot project to incentivise employee volunteering, supporting the work of COPE Galway
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edtronic and COPE Galway have a long and successful history of partnership, so when the Medtronic Foundation created a pilot opportunity to grow and incentivise employee volunteering, COPE Galway were the clear partner of choice. The aim of the Spotlight Pilot was to engage new employees in volunteering, reward the efforts of committed, recurring volunteers and foster a culture of yearround volunteering. COPE Galway had a long list of projects that either needed extra support or had not yet been actioned due to lack of time and resources. The focused project by Medtronic allowed the COPE Galway team to identify a list of opportunities and gaps that an eager and engaged workforce could help with. SPECIAL OCCASIONS Medtronic employees offered their time, skills and voices to support COPE Galway at a time of immense pressure and worry in the community. This programme was launched in December 2020 and though it needed to be completely revamped in light of Level 5 lockdown, the teams delivered indisputable impact and results over a fivemonth period. A menu of volunteering opportunities met employees at the level and time commitment suitable to all. The first project was an in-person volunteering need, where Medtronic employees supported COPE Galway’s Christmas Donations Project: sorting food, gifts and toys. This project had a huge impact on
COPE Galway clients, delivering 400 food hampers and 1,000 gifts to men, women and children. Medtronic employees were inspired by this and created a similar Easter Hamper project, which provided over 450 Easter cards and eggs to clients in Older Peoples Services and 200 Easter cards, eggs and colouring materials to children living in Emergency Accommodation. INSPIRING PROGRAMMES After pivoting due to Level 5 restrictions, the two organisations developed an inspiring and impactful virtual programme
for staff and volunteers in COPE Galway, which encompassed everything from IT skills programmes to professional development workshops. Medtronic also developed a series of advocacy sessions for Medtronic staff to educate, inspire and activate them to engage with improving their community. The partnership not only lifted the spirits and skillset of the COPE Galway team and clients but also created an ever-greater momentum of volunteering in Medtronic Galway. The project helped Medtronic employees to connect with their community and the impact has been to build social networks, improve community resilience and the quality of life for the beneficiaries. It has raised awareness of social issues and helped to reduce loneliness and social isolation amongst COPE Galway clients. This is not the beginning nor the end of the Medtronic COPE Galway partnership but a special and memorable highlight for all involved—407 employees over 1,463 hours, impacting 1,913 beneficiaries.
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